The Awakening of Dragons
by Sabaku no Kyuubi
Summary: Isley saves Raki from dying after Clare's battle with Priscilla. Now after years apart from one another, Clare, Raki, and the others meet once again. So the question is this: What does Rubel want when he shows up with a mission for them?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: To all readers, I don't own the Claymore characters, the Claymore Universe, or the ideas from Naruto or Bleach that appear later. However, I do own everything else, as the characters and universe that appear later are part of a story/ manga that I am creating. Other than that, please enjoy. Now here is a glimpse at the world that will appear later in the storyline, as well as a couple of the characters.

* * *

From the night sky, the city of Las Angeles looked like a paradise of lights and sound. The people in the city were laughing, crying, falling in love, and going on with their daily lives. Little did they know of the war that was going on around them at the time between the creatures that they deemed solely as myths and legends. 

From the sky above, a figure looked down as he flew through the bright, full moonlit sky. Floating on golden scaled wings, he watched over the people of the city as they went about their daily lives. His golden eyes scanned the ground, slitted pupils catching everything that they did, from the smallest twitch of their muscles to the way they moved about the streets. What he hadn't been expecting to see that night was the two men that had followed a young redhead around the corner into the one alley.

"Oh brother," the man thought as he dove towards the alley, making sure that no one saw him as he landed. His wings retreated into his back through the holes in his black shirt and knee length leather jacket as he landed. His golden scales retreated into his skin as well, which changed from gold to the color of light cinnamon. His eyes stayed the same, and where his hair should have been, golden spikes grew, each of them with a slight backward curve, and varying in size from the top to the bottom of his scalp. Near the top, the longest spike was about six inches, while the spikes near the bottom were about half an inch. His face was strong, looking like it had been chiseled from the finest of stone, which would have made any girl break down and drool if they saw him. He also had a medium build, stood about six feet tall, minus the spikes, and to complete his ensemble, he wore black leather boots, black jeans, and half of a golden dragon necklace. Strapped across his back was a large sword, with a dragon's head hilt, and several rubies embedded in it.

Looking on the scene, the man saw the girl backed up against the one wall, a shocked look on her face as she looked at the faces of the two men in front of her, for they each were growing more monstrous by the second. Needless to say, she was very afraid by this point.

"What do you think brother?" The first of the two asked. He was a little on the large side, as in fat, looking to weigh a good three hundred pounds easily. His face was fat as well, but it was slowly changing from human to monster, with veins slowly making their presence known on his face, his eyes flashing to a slitted yellow color, and his teeth growing into fierce jagged points. "She looks tasty, doesn't she?"

"Yes brother, very tasty indeed." The second was smaller, a little stockier than the first, but he was showing the same signs of change as the first. The second licked his lips and sharp teeth as he stared at the frightened looking woman. "Her innards must be delicious."

Their bodies were now growing taller and more heavily muscled, claws sprouting from the end of their fingertips. "Indeed they must." The first of them was starting to salivate. "Let us find out." With that they both started to move closer to her, savoring the meal the meal that was about to come to them.

Meanwhile the woman was so scared she couldn't even speak. She didn't even notice the man in shadows, she was so scared. Her voice was lost as she tried to cry out, to scream, but only a small squeak escaped her throat, making the two monsters in front of her chuckle even more. To them, fear always made their food taste better, and this woman was practically dripping with it.

While her body was frozen up, her mind was racing a thousands mile a second. 'Th-th-the-these monsters w-w-w-wa-want t-to e-eat m-m-me?' She broke into a cold sweat as she tried to back as far into the corner of the alley as she could. She finally found her voice. "N-no, p-p-pl-please, someone…SOMEONE HELP ME!!"

"Who do you think will help you?" the first one asked, flexing his claws as he grew closer. "No human cares enough about another in this city to risk their lives for anyone."

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing that I'm not human."

The two men turned monsters turned towards the source of the voice in time to see the man step from the shadows. The two of them chuckled as he stepped out because they were both a good foot and a half taller than him, as well as more heavily muscled. The second decided that a little teasing was in order. Jabbing a clawed finger in the man's direction, "Look brother, the little demon wants to fight us."

They both burst out into full blown laughter at the remark, while the frightened redhead just watch, tears streaming from her eyes. The other regained enough composure to chuckle softly and wipe his eyes, "Yes he does brother. The weak ones really know how to make a joke." The two started laughing again at the man's expense as the woman continued to stare with tear filled eyes.

The man, who's molten gold eyes shined in the pale moonlight that was streaming into the alley, merely smirked as the two laughed, "Weak?" He chuckled a dark chuckle, "That's pretty good coming from the lowest of the low."

That statement caught their attention, and they stopped laughing. "What was that, weakling?"

The man's smirk grew and his caught their gazes with a glare that could melt steel. "You heard me."

The glare didn't seem to affect either of them. In fact, it seemed to make them even angrier. The one took the chance to run at him, "You'll pay for that, you bastard!!" He ran at the man, claws drawn back, ready to strike. The man didn't move. When the monster reached him, he swung and the woman screamed, "NNNOOOOOOO!!"

"Heh heh. The bastard got what he deserved," the first of the monster brothers said. He was about to turned back to the woman when he noticed that his brother seemed to be having a hard time with something. "What is wrong brother?"

"Oh nothing, he's just having a little trouble with me." The voice startled both the woman and the monster. The monster though, didn't have time to be surprised for long, as his brother was thrown back at him and they went through the brick wall of the building behind him..

The woman looked in the direction which the demon had come from to see the man with spikes and golden eyes walking towards the hole in the wall, his body absent of any damage or harm. He stopped before he entered the hole, and glanced at the redhead, "Miss, I suggest you leave."

The woman quickly nodded and ran from the alley. The man walked through the hole he had created.

The building was very large on the inside, and judging by the number of boxes within, it had been built for storage. The monster brothers were nowhere to be seen, but their smell permeated the air of the building. He knew they were there, waiting for him to make a wrong move.

"I see," came the voice of the first monster from the shadows as the man walked farther into the building, "so you aren't as weak as we took you for." The man walked around, his eye slowly scanning the room as he listened, trying to pinpoint the monster's location by his voice.

The other brother chuckled like the man had earlier. The man heard the sound of a tongue being dragged over lips, "Yes brother, but we won't make that mistake a second time."

The man didn't seem to notice the second monster brother coming up behind him, at least until the monster tried to attack him and the man blocked it like he had earlier, shocking the monster once again with his insane strength. "H-how?"

The man smirked, "Seems you didn't learn your lesson the first time." With that, the man picked him up and threw him through the nearest pile of crates, where his brother had been hiding, waiting to attack. After crashing into his brother, the two of them were up like lightning.

"You bastard!!" This time it was the first that shouted, while they both attacked. As they struck down where he had been standing, the cement of the floor exploded outward, showering the two with small piece of rock and concrete. "Where did he go?"

"Look up, you idiots!" The two looked up in time to see a black booted foot connect with each of their faces, and they were sent flying backwards into another pile of crates. They were up a little slower this time, purple blood flowing from their mouths as well as a few small gashes on their bodies.

The two of them looked back at the spot where they had been kicked from, only to see the spot vacant. They two looked around in frustration and anger, "Where did that weak bastard go?!"

"Really now," a voice came from behind them, shocking them both, "you are the ones losing to me, and you have the gall to call me weak?" They both turned around, the second one receiving a spin kick that sent him across the room.

The first looked after his brother in disbelief, and then just looked back at the man, a small amount of fear in his voice, "H-how is it possible? No demon like you should be able to beat us."

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm not a demon," the man said with a smirk, which brought a look of confusion to the demon's face, "I'm a half demon."

The monster's face grew even more fearful. He even backed away a little, "It's not possible. NO HALF DEMON SHOULD BE STRONGER THAN US!!" Panic broke out on the monsters face as he gazed at the man in front of him.

"You really don't know who I am, do you?" The man's gaze grew dark as the air literally started to spark with electricity. A large amount of electrical energy appeared around his one fist, illuminating half the room.

"Then I think it's time for a lesson." He thrust electrified fist into the monster's stomach, sending him flying towards his brother, who was just starting to get up. He crashed into his brother, a large electrical burn where the man had hit him. Neither of them proceeded to get back up, so the man walked towards them, all the while his form changing as his scales and wings reappeared.

When he reached them, he was fully transformed. Looking down on them both, he focused more electrical energy to his palm. As the energy gathered, it illuminated his face, and his golden eyes. "Next time, know who you are picking a fight with before you do…not that there will be a next time. Enjoy your time in Hell." He was about to unleash his attack, when he stopped and said, "You should know, I'm not a half demon. I'm a half dragon."

The two of them looked at him, the fear evident in their eyes. "It's you…"

That was the last words out of either of their mouths as the man whispered, "Byakurai (Pale Lightning)" and a bolt of lightning shot from his hand, thereby incinerating them both as they screamed for their lives.

"Damn it, I hate demons like those two." the man said, brushing the dust from his clothes. Listening to the sounds outside the building, he could her the sounds of police sirens in the distance.

"Time to go." Walking out the hole that he created in the wall earlier, he spread his wings and took off. From the sky, he could see the woman he had saved, as well as the police cars that arrived. He quickly looked away, and flew like the fires of hell were at his back.

After flying for close to half an hour, he came upon a rather large house with a rather large amount of trees around it. "Home sweet home." he mumbled with a smile as he landed at the front door and entered.

Upon entering, he walked into a rather large room, with a high ceiling and cream colored walls. Their was a long green carpet going from the door to the marble staircase across the room, and a red banner sat on each wall between a pair of huge windows, each depicting a gold dragon, a silver dragon, a fox, an arctic wolf, and a tiger.

The man transformed back to a mostly human form, but this time, the only thing that remained of his dragon like appearance was the golden slitted eyes, both of them devoid of any white at all, while the spikes had turned to hair that was the same color as his eyes and fell just below his slightly pointed ears.

At the top of the stairs a woman appeared, her long hair a glistening silver color, as well as her eyes, which were just like the man's. She wore a black tube top and tight fitting blue jeans, which hugged the curves and tanned skin of her body like a second skin. Her face was beautiful, with high cheek bones and a perfect smile, which showed off her longer than normal canines. Around her neck, the other half of the necklace that the man was wearing dangled, except is was silver, just like the rest of her. Her eyes lit up when she saw the man at the bottom of the stairs.

"Drake!!" She practically flew down the stairs and gripped him in a bone crushing hug. 

"C'mon Sarah, let go." She squeezed him one more time for good measure before she let go of him and smiled. She stood at least half a foot shorter than him. "Jeez sis, are you getting stronger?"

She flashed a huge grin across her face, "Nope. Still as strong as I ever was brother."

He returned her smile in full. He then looked around, as if expecting to see someone else. "Where are the others? I expected them to see them when I got here."

Sarah giggled, "They're out in the woods, in the bodies that you gave them, dear brother."

A sigh escaped Drake's lips, "Figures. But then again, at least they are enjoying themselves."

"Of course they are," Sarah said, jumping on his back and wrapping her arms around his neck. He had removed the sword when he walked in the door. "You saved their lives. If you hadn't done that, they all would have…" Her voice trailed off and a sad look crossed her face, as well as Drake's.

"I know Sarah, I know."

The two remained silent for a minute before Sarah spoke up. "So, did you get it then?"

Drake smiled as he held up a charm that he pulled from his pocket. Meanwhile, Sarah frowned, "That's it?"

"Yep, that's it."

"But it's so small. What could be so important about that?"

Drake snorted at the question. "I don't know, but the old man wouldn't tell me about it if it wasn't important."

Sarah thought about it for a second before she nodded, "True."

"C'mon, get off of me sis, I have to put it in the vault." She got off and headed up he stairs and off to the left of the stair case and through a door that led down a hallway to another door. On the other side of that door was a traditional Japanese dojo. He crossed to the other side of the dojo, where he opened the paper door to reveal a steel door, with a handprint analyzer in it. Placing a hand on it, the door opened almost instantly to reveal a room filled with charms, weapons, talismans, and other such magical items.

Walking to the end of the room, he placed the newest addition to the place on a hook set into the wall. As he turned to leave, something made him look back at the charm. As he stared at the small trinket, he could swear he saw several pairs of silver colored eyes staring back at him, all of them belonging to women with silvery blonde hair, except for one, which turned out to be a man.

Drake shook his head, and the images dispersed. "I'm seeing things." He shook his head a little more as he walked away, bringing his hand to his eyes, "I really need some sleep."

As he walked out and closed the door, the charm sparkled in the dull light of the room. The charm shaped like a broadsword, with a small, red, three pronged mark set into the blade of it.

* * *

"RAKI!!" 

Clare held Raki's bloody body in her arms, tears streaming from here eyes as she cried for the boy she loved so dearly, just as they had for Jeane moments before.

Around the two of them, Miria, Deneve, and Helen gathered, pained looks on their faces, both for Raki's plight and Clare's sadness.

A little farther away, Priscilla shook in shock as tears flowed from her eyes, her naked form covered in blood whispering to herself, "Raki, no… why… why…?"

Priscilla, seeing Clare in her moment of weakness at the death of Jeane, had tried to strike at the girl, to rid herself of said the woman who was so much like Teresa, the woman that she had killed all those years ago. Having awakened her one arm, she had proceeded to stretch her claws and kill Clare. Raki though, had spotted her actions, and jumped in front of Clare. Having seen this, Priscilla became distraught and backed away from them all, while Clare cried for Raki as the life slowly slipped from his bleeding form.

Helen rounded on Priscilla, neither Deneve or Miria moving t stop her. "You bitch! He saved you! He cared enough to keep Clare from killing you, and yet you go and do this to him!?"

Priscilla didn't seem to hear the angry Claymore. She continued cry into her knees and whisper, "Raki… Raki…"

Now Helen was angry. Lifting her sword over her head she screamed, "YOU DON'T DESERVE HIS KINDNESS! NOW DIE!!"

She swung her sword down on the body of the former Claymore turned Youma, only to have the blade stopped by a slender, muscled, male hand. A flash of silver hair greeted her eyes. "She will not be dying today. After all, she still belongs to me." an impassive yet cheery voice said.

Helen backed away, but tensed as she realized who was speaking to her. Miria and Deneve also turned and readied their weapons. Even Clare, despite the tears, managed to throw a hated glare at the man. For the man was none other than Isley of the North. Though he looked normal enough, power radiated from his body.

"What do you want here, Youma?" It was Deneve who spoke up, her face set into the deepest of scowls as she stared at the former Claymore in front of her.

Isley stood up and smiled a serene smile. "Now, is that any way to speak to the man who is going to save that boys life?"

All of the women, except for Priscilla of course, gave him looks of surprise. They quickly turned looks of suspicion, which Miria seemed to voice for all of them, "Why would a Youma, and one as powerful as you for that matter, want to save a human?"

Isley kept that same serene smile on his face as a he spoke, "Thank you for the compliment, Miss…"

"My name is none of your concern," Miria stated as she drew closer to him, her claymore coming within an inch of his jugular. She was showing a surprising amount of courage despite the severe difference between her power and his, "And it was not meant to be a compliment."

Isley sighed, all the while with the smile still on his face. "Yes, yes, I surmised as much." He looked at Raki, who was slowly growing paler and paler as his life blood stained the earth and what was left of Clare's clothing. "As for why I am helping him…call it a thank you."

This one caught Clare's attention most of all. "A thank you? What could he have possibly done for you?" Isley did not miss the underlying hate that was in her voice.

Pushing Miria's claymore from his throat, he made his way to Clare and Raki, and then knelt down beside the two of them. "It is not for me." He glanced back at the form of Priscilla, who was still crying over what she had done. "It is for her."

Clare wanted to question Isley further, but she stopped herself when Raki coughed up a large amount of blood. "RAKI!"

"Stand back." Isley's command of Clare was loud, but the seriousness of his voice was very obvious. Clare didn't move much. She merely let Raki's head rest in her lap while she took her upper body away from the rest of him.

Isley seemed to think that was good enough, as he had gone to work. Pulling a small knife from his belt, he made a slash across his palm. Clenching his fist, the blood flowed. Before any of them, even Clare, could stop him, he placed the hand over one of Raki's open wounds, letting the smallest amount of blood to enter the cut.

Raki's eyes suddenly opened wide, and a scream escaped his throat as the blood coursed through his system and his body shook. The girls watched in horror at the sight before them, while Clare held onto him. After a few minutes, he calmed down, his eyes closing once again.

The girls, excluding Clare who didn't have her sword, all swung at Isley, who jumped out of the way just in time to keep his head from being removed.

Clare pulled Raki's body as close to hers as she could, "What have you done you bastard?!"

"I have saved his life." The serene smile was back on his face.

Clare, upon seeing the smile, became outraged, along with the rest of the woman there, but Clare was the only one who spoke up, "YOU'VE CONDEMNED HIM TO THE LIFE OF A YOUMA!!"

"No," he simply stated, "I have condemned him to a life like yours."

Helen was the one who spoke this time, "What are you talking about, you bastard?"

"Look at the boy's wounds. Then check his eyes"

The girls were puzzled for a second, until they looked at Raki and realized that the wounds that Priscilla had inflicted upon him were completely gone. Clare would have cried tears of happiness right then if Miria hadn't lifted his eyelids.

"His eyes are…" Clare started the sentence, but Miria finished it, only confirming what Clare was seeing.

"Silver."

Clare grew even more furious now. She wanted to scream at Isley, shout how he had ruined Raki's life, and shortened it at the same time. She wanted to scream at the monster until her throat was hoarse, and then cut him down like the beast that he was. At the same time though, she wanted to thank him for saving Raki, the one thing that had been good about her life since Teresa had died. Raki, the person who was more precious to her than her own life.

Not knowing what to do, Clare hugged him close to herself and cried tears of happiness, and yet sadness at the same time. Raki was a Claymore now, just like her, and male Claymores were known for one thing: becoming Awakened Beings almost immediately. And being an Awakened Being only led down one path in the eyes of other Claymores: the path of death by their hands.

Though Clare couldn't yell at Isley at the moment, Helen and the others were slightly more fortunate in that area. Helen was actually the first to speak up. "CONDEMNED HIM TO LIFE?! YOU'VE CONDEMNED HIM TO DEATH!!"

"She is right," Miria stated her head hanging low as she knew what the boy's fate was. "You of all people should know what happens to a male Claymore."

It was Isley's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

Helen was even more outraged now than she was before. "DON'T GIVE US THAT BULLSHIT!! YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE MEAN!!"

"As much as I would like to say that I do, I do not." Isley merely frowned as he spoke. Helen was about to yell at him again, when Deneve cut her off and spoke in a calm tone.

"She is referring to the fact that male Claymores feel a sexual desire to awaken, hence the reason that males usually turn into Awakened Beings from surpassing their limits so soon."

Isley didn't say anything at first. He just stood there and stared at them all. After that, he did something that none of them expected him to do. He started to chuckle, which turned into a small laugh as he brought his hands to his eyes. This action came to all of their attention, even Clare, who lifted her tear stained face to look at the laughing Youma.

Needless to say, Isley laughing only managed to piss Helen off even more. However, her voice was low as she spoke now, though the anger was still clearly evident. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Oh nothing, nothing," Isley stated as he continued to chuckle, "It's just that I find the lies that the organization tells you are very humorous, as well as a little ridiculous."

Miria, having been investigating the organization whenever she could, was intrigued, as well as a little confused. "What do you mean?"

Isley stopped laughing and answered, "If that was the case, don't you think that the feeling to awaken would be true for all Claymores, not just men?"

The women all looked at the man, surprise evident on their faces, while their minds raced a mile a minute. He was right. Why would such a feeling occur in only the one sex and not the other? They were all undergoing the same changes, so why would things be so different just because of sex?

Isley continued on, "We didn't awaken because we accidentally went over our limits. The organization wasn't able to control us very well, and due to this, they sought to extinguish the existence of the male Claymores. We awakened by choice, to defend ourselves and fight the organization."

"Why would you voluntarily choose the life of a monster?" Miria asked.

Isley though, merely smiled. "That is for you to figure out on your own." Turning, he picked up the weeping Priscilla, Turning back to them, he smiled his serene smile once again and said, "Until we meet again, ladies."

Helen, Deneve, and Miria were about to attack him, until he released a burst of youki that forced them all to their knees. After that he turned to Clare and walked over to her and Raki again.

Upon reaching down he whispered into her ear, "He will not awaken, not fully, unless you give him reason to," Clare's eyes went wide as he spoke, "so be strong, for your sake and his."

With that, Isley was gone, the only proof that he had been there being the small traces of youki left behind, and the boy now sleeping in the lap of a Claymore who cried tears of absolute happiness.

* * *

A/N: So what do you think so far? Hope ya liked it, because there will be plenty more to it. Review Please!! Until next time, bye! 


	2. Meeting and a Mission

Okay, her goes Chapter one. First off, i'd like to thank anyone who's taken an interest in this story. This chapter is kinda crappy, at least i thik so. So, sorry about that ahead of time. This basically just explains what happens when they all meet again, and tells what the organization wants from them. Now, on we go.

Disclaimer: I only own the story idea, nothing else, so lawyers, BACK OFF!!

* * *

SEVEN YEARS LATER…

In the midst of a dense forest, two figures wandered, looking for an appropriate place to spend the night. Their pale blonde hair shone in the light of the setting sun. Both were tall, or at least a little taller than they had been all of those years before. The one had short hair, as he had before, but her figure was a little more filled out, and her muscles were slightly more developed due to her training with two swords.

The other, though she too had plenty of muscle on her body as well, was a little more feminine. Her body had filled out a little more, and had any man chosen to pursue her, he would have started to drool. Her hair was about shoulder length, stopping just above the hilt of the large claymore that was on her back. However, even though she had changed, there were two things that hadn't. The one thing was her attitude, the other, well…

Helens stomach growled, and it didn't go unnoticed by either her or Deneve. "Helen, are you hungry again? I'm starting to wonder if I should start calling you a glutton."

"Hey, I can't help it that I eat more than the average warrior." She said the whole thing with a playful on her face.

Deneve couldn't help but shake her head and smile. She was used to it after spending such a long time with her friend.

Helen was digging in her pack for an apple when the smell of something wonderful met her nose. She sniffed a few more times, her nose taking in the delightful scent of cooking meat and spices.

Her action didn't go unnoticed by Deneve. "Helen, what are you doing?"

"Can't you smell that?"

Deneve raised an eyebrow and tentatively sniffed the air. She too noticed the smell. "I do now."

Helen started walking off in the direction that the smell was coming from. "Helen what are you doing?"

"Going to wherever that smell is coming from." she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I may like my apples Deneve, but personally, right now I feel like something else, and that smells wonderful!"

"And what are you going to do if there are humans there? Just walk in and steal the food?"

"Yep!" Helen replied, a smile evident on her face. She started walking again, and Deneve just stared at her retreating back.

The short haired ex-Claymore stared for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. She shook her head and followed her excitable friend. 'What am I going to do with her?'

Five minutes later, the two of them were looking over a small clearing. A small fire was burning in the midst of it, over which the body of what looked like a rather large lizard was slowly roasting. The occupant of the clearing was not one they had been expecting though. Her sword was stuck in the ground and she was leaning against it, her back to the two of them.

"It's one of us." Helen whispered as she stared at the woman in the clearing, whose hair stopped just short of her shoulders. For some reason, the Claymore in the clearing had a familiar feeling youki, or what little bit she was letting off.

"Is it anyone we know?" Deneve inquired, also wondering why the youki felt so very familiar.

"Give me a second, would ya?" Helen was squinting at the figure, trying to see the make out the symbol on the woman's sword. Her eyes opened in surprise as she quickly recognized it.

Before Deneve could say or do anything, Helen drew her sword, jumped out of the trees, and swung at the woman, only to be blocked by the woman's sword. A smile appeared on her face. "Well I'll be damned! Clare!!"

Deneve looked at the young woman in front of them. It was indeed Clare. The ex-Claymore hadn't changed very much in all the years that they hadn't seen her, but there we're a few small changes in her appearance. She was a little taller, standing about five foot two inches. Her body had filled out considerably, as every curve was accentuated by the leather outfit that she was wearing (Think something like Irene when she gave Clare her arm).

"Helen?" Clare was looking at her friend with wide eyes when Deneve decided to walk out of the foliage. "Deneve?"

"Good to see you Clare." She said it with a smile, while Helen had a big smirk on her face.

Clare however, merely smiled her own small smile. "Good to see you both."

Helen looked around the campsite. There was something missing, but she wasn't sure what it was until she spotted a broadsword that wasn't much smaller than theirs. Helen decided to have a little bit of fun with her friend. "So Clare, where's your little boy toy? Isn't he with you anymore?"

Clare sent a glare Helen's way, who only smiled a mischievous little smile. Clare then just smiled. "He's gone out to find some wood for the fire. He should be back soon."

They were about to ask some more, before a new voice spoke up, "I see that coincidence does occur in the unlikeliest of moments."

They all turned to see Miria walking through the tress, her face the picture of calm that it always was, even with the small smile that was on her lips.

She drew her claymore as soon as she walked into the clearing. With a smile on all of their faces, they all drew their claymores. Helen smirked a little, "Heh, together again after all these years."

Crossing their claymores, Miria said, "Yes, it is good to see you all again."

"As it is you, Miria," Clare said with a smile on her face as she placed her sword in the ground once more, while the others sheathed theirs.

Miria started to look around as Helen had earlier, noticing exactly the same thing, "Clare, where is your young friend? Isn't he with you?"

"That's what I asked her!" Helen exclaimed. She turned back to Clare. "Come on Clare, where is he? I want to see this what a sexy hunk this boy of yours has grown into!"

"I must admit, I am curious as well Clare," Deneve spoke up, her curiosity actually sparked for once. "Where is Raki?" She wasn't the only one who remembered his name, but she was the only one who chose to speak it.

"Oh, is someone talking about me?" A man's voice broke through the air, attracting the attention of the four. Needless to say, Miria's, Helen's, and Deneve's jaws all dropped when they saw Raki. Well, at least as much as a Claymore's jaw would drop.

He was not the person, or should I say Claymore, that they had all remembered. He had changed completely. Where as he was shorter than Clare before, he was now at least a foot taller than her. He had a medium build with taught, lean muscles bulging under his tan pants and cream colored shirt. His face had actually surprised them the most. Whatever baby fat had been there was gone now, giving a handsome, very lean look. Surprisingly, he looked very much like Isley, except for the scar just above his left eye. This was the only difference, seeing as his hair had also turned the silvery blonde that Isley's had been, and had grown to be just past shoulder length. As for his eyes, though still silver, they looked as if they were created from the purest of the precious ore, for they sparkled like the actual metal in the light of the fire.

The three women stared at the man in front of them, while Clare was smirking to herself on the inside. Raki though, was blushing under the scrutiny of their gazes. Laughing nervously he asked, "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

* * *

Galatea. The third strongest warrior in the organization. Many feared and respected the woman, save for the warriors that had the number one and two positions. The only others who were not afraid of the woman's power were the members that ran the organization.

This simple fact led her to conclude that whoever it was that was walking up behind her belonged to one of those groups of people. Seeing as there wasn't a large amount of youki accompanying the approaching figure, it led her to conclude that it was one of the latter group.

Focusing her senses, she tried to find any small indications as to who it might be. Though the ones who led the organization were all emotionless bastards, each of them had certain small differences in their characteristics, movements, and personal scents. Based on what her ears and nose were telling her, she quickly discerned who it was. "Hello Rubel."

"I should know by now that there is no use trying to hide my presence when I approach you." The man stepped out of the shadows, his normal black outfit, hat and glasses present as always. "You can always tell it is me."

Galatea smirked slightly. "What can I do for you, Rubel?"

The man smiled his normal small smile. "I have a job for you Galatea."

* * *

A few days after their reunion, the four ex-Claymores and the single male Claymore in existence sat quietly around a fire, all of them silent.

Over the last several days the group had traveled together, catching up on old times, and exchanging information that they had gathered on the organization, or what little of it they could find out, over the last seven years. During the time that they had traveled together, they had come across Yoma in several different towns. Seems the organization wasn't keeping up with the spread for there were several Yoma in each town they visited.

The five of them, despite the fact that they were not part of the so-called organization anymore, cut down each of the monsters with relative ease. The people in the villages, though they were afraid when they approached, offered their gratitude, as well as the pay for slaying the Youma, despite the fact that a request to have them slain hadn't been made. They had refused the money, but asked instead for a place to spend the night, which the people obliged them kindly, even if they were still scared out of their wits.

The fact that they were staying in the villages though made some people wonder about them, and even prompted a few questions about them from some of the people in the villages.

The first of these questions had been many that the warriors were expecting, all of them asked by children young enough to not be afraid of them. It was the usual things, like 'Why are your eyes silver?' and other such things about the warriors. They had all regarded the young children as being curious, and answered the questions with a smile. Many mothers though, were still wary of them.

The second question that was asked though, was one that didn't shock them at all, and were surprised that it hadn't been asked as soon as they walked into town. It was in fact asked there first night that they had stayed at an inn…(A/N: Okay people, basically think dining room of an Inn in the Middle Ages here, cause were going on a little backtrack.)

"Who is that man that is with you ladies?" the old man running the Inn asked, his voice a little shaky. The subject of his question was currently sitting with Helen, both of them eating a rather large amount of food for a Claymore, while Helen was teasing Raki a little bit. Clare though, was keeping a wary eye on the two of them.

Miria took it upon herself to answer the man's question. "He is a companion of ours. He is also one of us."

He man looked at her, his voice still a little shaky. "O-one of y-you?"

"Yes," Clare said with a nod. "If our words are not proof enough, simply look at his eyes."

The man looked Raki's way, only to see the bright silver luster of the male's eyes, making his own widen by several degrees. "He… he really is one of you. A male Claymore! It's unheard of!"

The girls scowled at the name, mainly because they had expressed several times that it wasn't what they called themselves, but they decided to let it go.

Actually making the man notice what Raki was seemed to be a bad idea though. As soon as the man knew, he told his wife and family, and they told anyone who would listen. Soon, the townspeople were crowding the Inn to see the silver eyed man, for many of them had not noticed what he was when they came to the town. Many of the people though, seemed to be young village girls, all of them crowding to look at the handsome young man. All throughout the encounter, the warrior women were sending glares at said young village women.

The other question though, was a question that was asked to none other than Raki himself by Helen at dinner the second night. It was a question that left him… embarrassed to say the least.

Helen had just finished off a rather large meal, only to see Raki still tearing his own meal. 'His appetite is huge. I wonder though…' Smiling to herself, she drew closer to the man, who had just finished his last bite. That last bite though was promptly choked on as Helen took a generous squeeze of the area between his legs.

"Helen, what the hell are you doing?!". He didn't shout, and luckily for him, none of the people around him noticed what Helen was doing.

"Just answering a question of mine," Helen said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She took another light squeeze. "Hmm, I see it's not just your appetite that's big. I might just have to make Clare share you."

"Share me?" His voice was laced with sincere confusion, which didn't really go unnoticed by Helen.

"Oh, don't play coy with me. I know that you and Clare have… you know…" She made a few hand gestures to indicate what she meant. (A/N: If you don't get this, you are a fucking idiot.)

To say Raki was red would be an understatement. The color could actually be called a dark puce. He shook his head furiously, his silvery hair swaying and tangling as he did. "N-no! We haven't!"

The surprise and shock registered on Helen's face for about two seconds before her smile returned to her face, this one twice as wide as the one before. She suddenly pulled herself closer to him, her fingers doing a little walk up his chest. "Is that so? So I guess that makes you a virgin then?" She wrapped and arm around his neck and her grin turned into a seductive smile. "Well, we'll just have to remedy that little situation now, won't we?"

Unfortunately for Helen, Clare was right behind her when she said that. It took all that Miria and Deneve had to keep her from cutting down her friend. The commotion did scare the people a little, but as long as they weren't directly involved, they didn't really worry all that much. Besides, Helen had quickly waved off her advance as a joke, while Raki had kept on blushing. For the rest of their trip though, Clare noticed that Helen's eyes were continually traveling in the direction of the young man.

It wasn't just her eyes either. Miria's eyes were also finding their way to Raki. Since she had become a warrior, she had never so much as looked at a man, let alone been in such close proximity of one so good looking. He was handsome, kind, and from what she could see from how he handled the Yoma he fought, he was as strong as her and the others, if not stronger. To say that she wasn't attracted would be a lie.

Deneve's eyes were finding their own way to Raki as well, but not out of attraction. It was out of curiosity. He was an enigma to her. He had fought against a pair of Yoma in the one city, and barely awakened his powers at all, his eyes not even changing to the fierce yellow color with slitted pupils. With this act, he killed them both without receiving a scratch to himself. This fact interested the woman, making her wish to know even more about the man that Clare found so important to herself.

Their actions remained unchanged, even on this night. As Clare and Raki slept, the other three women were staring at the man, his calm face glowing in the low light of the dying fire. They would have kept staring, if the light crunch of a twig snapping hadn't woke the two.

They all drew their swords from their positions in the ground, facing the direction that the sound had come from. A voice echoed through the darkness. "Old age must be coming on. I'm usually more careful than that." The voice was accompanied by the approach of a man in black clothes, a black hat, and small round black glasses.

"Rubel," Clare said, her voice seething, "what are you doing here?"

"Now Clare," Rubel said, his voice it's normal cheery tone, "whatever do you mean? There is only one time that I ever seek you out."

"You have got to be kidding me?!" Helen exclaimed. Raki though, was confused, as he had never seen Rubel before in his life.

"Um… Clare? Who is this man?" Said man turned to the young warrior, the small smile still present on his face.

"I see. So this is the first male warrior that the world has seen in centuries." He looked Raki over, like he was inspecting a piece of meat. "A fine specimen indeed." He was about to approach Raki, when Clare appeared in front of her love, her sword at the ready. "I see you are still protective of the boy as you ever were."

Clare ignored his remark, speaking to Raki, "Raki, this is the person who gave me my mission assignments. He works for the organization."

"Yeah," Helen interjected, "and the only reason he ever shows up is because of that."

Raki looked at the man now, his eyes suspicious. "So what… he's here to give us a mission?"

The man smiled again, "Yes, that's exactly what I'm here for."

Miria merely stepped forward, her own face set into a scowl. "We are not part of the organization, not anymore. Orders from you mean little more than nothing to us."

"Ah, but you forget," Rubel said, wagging his finger a little for emphasis, "you don't really have a choice in the matter. It's either work for us… or forfeit your lives."

As soon as he finished, two figures stepped from the shadows, claymores at the ready, both of them warriors that the warrior women instantly recognized. The tall form of Galatea made itself known, while the scarred visage of the one eyed Raphaela followed closely behind.

'Dammit!' was all that went through Clare's mind as her scowl deepened. The scowl disappeared after her view was blocked by Raki's muscled form, his own broadsword at the ready as he stared at the two women in front of him. "Raki, don't!!"

"Oh, the boy wants to fight us?" The voice they heard was an unexpected one, as it was Raphaela that spoke up. They weren't sure, but they could swear that there was a small amount of anticipation in her voice. Clare though, wasn't going to have it.

"Raki, no!!" She wrapped herself around him, as if trying to hold him back. Her actions made him turn to look at her from over his shoulder, his lustrous silver eyes catching her own worry filled ones.

"Clare, they're threatening to kill us if we don't listen," he said matter of factly. Raki, when it came to things like battle, had become more hardened over the years, much as Clare had been when he first met her, but only in those situations. Much like the one that they were in now. "What other action is there for me to take?"

Clare though, was much more emotional than she had been, especially when it came to him. "Don't fight them! Please! I don't want to see you hurt!" Memories of the fight with Priscilla came rushing back. Memories of Raki and how close she had been to losing him for good. She moved so that she was pressed into his back, the warmth of her tears soaking into his shirt. "I don't want you or anyone else to die."

'Clare…' all of the girls thought as they heard her words of concern for Raki, as well as themselves.

The three former warriors all looked at Rubel and the two single digit warriors. They could sense any other ill intentions toward them, aside from the ones used to threaten them into the mission. Begrudgingly, they place their claymores back on their backs.

Raki though, was a little more hesitant to relinquish his weapon. He glared at the three from the organization before he stuck his sword into the ground and said, "For Clare's sake." He turned to embrace her after that, stroking her hair in a calming gesture.

"Ah, young love," Rubel said, "but we have important matters to discuss." He sat after that, his two female attendant following suit. The former organization member sat as well, but they all kept a cautious eye on the three in front of them. Clare never left Raki's embrace.

"Now what is this about?" Miria asked in an impassive tone. "It must be incredibly important for you to hunt down four missing warriors, and a potentially dangerous male warrior."

"Yes, but it is necessary," Rubel said. "Isley is on the move again."

Though it didn't show on their faces, the five instantly understood why they were the ones being sought out. Helen spoke what each of them were thinking. "I get it. We're the only ones who've actually had contact with that bastard and lived. You came for us because we at least know a little of what he's capable of."

"Correct. The organization would like you to complete this mission. If you do, you will never hear from us again. You shall be free to do as you please, so long as no human lives are taken by you."

That one shocked them all real good, but that shock quickly dissipated. Except for Raki, they all knew that the organization would not honor such a promise. However, they were not in a position to bargain. For now they would have to play along.

"Great!" Helen said with an enthusiasm that sounded a little too real. "So what's the mission?"

Rubel smiled at the fact they were being so compliant. "The mission is a simple one. Keep Isley and his followers from getting to an artifact that would grant him unimaginable power."

"Unimaginable power?" Deneve asked with a raised eyebrow. "There is no such thing in this world. Save for Youma flesh and blood."

"Ah, but such an object does exist," Rubel said with a grin. "Tell me, what do the five of you know about Dragon Stones?"

The four female warriors all gave him a questioning look. What was he talking about? They had never heard of any such things. Clare was about to ask for details when she felt Raki shaking. She looked up at him to see his eye wide and his mouth agape. A fact that didn't go unnoticed by Rubel.

"Ah, it seems that the young man knows exactly what I'm talking about."

Raki swallowed the lump in his throat, and asked in a somewhat excited tone. "The stories are true? Dragon Stones really exist? But that means…"

"Yes my boy," Rubel said with a smirk, "they exist as well. Really now, you would question their existence when such creatures as Youma walk this world?"

Raki almost couldn't contain his excitement. "How big is the stone?"

"From what my superiors have told me, is must have come from a rather sizeable specimen, as it is supposedly as big as your fist.'

Raki's jaw was hanging open at the information. "Amazing…" He closed his mouth though when his four female companions gave him odd looks. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Raki, how do you know what he speaks of?" asked a concerned looking Clare.

Now it was Raki's turn to give them a questioning look. "You mean that none of you ever heard the stories?"

"It is understandable," Rubel said. "Usually, such tales were told to young men more than they were to young women."

"Raki, what is he talking about?" asked a now curious Clare.

"He is talking about tales of dragons."

The women all raised their eyebrows. Of course they had heard of the legendary scaled creatures, but never paid much attention to the stories. Seems that Raki did though.

"My father used to tell me and my brother stories about dragons before he died," Raki continued, "He told us about men who would go to try and kill them; to prove themselves as great warriors against creatures that were deemed as strong, if not stronger than an Abyssal One."

The women who heard this couldn't believe it. Helen even snorted. It was ridiculous. Mere humans going up against a creature that was stronger than an Abyssal One? It was not a question of stupidity, but rather sanity. To do something so foolish was suicide. Despite their thoughts though, they continued to listen.

"From the stories he told us, dragons varied in size from that of small horses to that of small mountains, their power usually equivalent to their size. The bigger the dragon, the more powerful it was."

"Yeah, we kind of figured that," Helen said with a deadpanned expression. Clare shot her a dirty look, but Raki continued as if she hadn't said anything.

"The small ones were easy enough to kill, but the largest ones could make someone like Isley sweat. These were the ones that were the most sought after. Many men lost their lives trying to slay them, and the lucky few who managed to do that still didn't make it. However, through these battles, Dragon Stones were formed."

The warrior women were really interested now. "Raki, just what is a Dragon Stone?" Helen asked.

"A Dragon Stone is a crystal formed from the blood of dragon. Specifically, the last drop of a dragon's blood. When the last drop of blood leaves a dragon's body, it hardens into a stone as hard as diamond. It is said that whoever holds a Dragon Stone holds the power of the dragon that it came from."

"You are well formed indeed, my boy," Rubel stated. "Yes, that is indeed the case."

Miria now looked shocked. "If what you say is true, then a stone of such size…"

"… Could lay waste to the land and everything in it. Correct, Miria." Rubel finished.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?! Where the hell are we supposed to go?!" Pretty much needless to say that this was Helen.

"I thought you might see things my way," Rubel said with a smile. "Now, on with the details…" As he spoke, Clare couldn't help but keep a cautious eye on the man and feel like there was something that he wasn't telling them.

* * *

The mission took them further south, the weather growing steadily warmer until they reached their destination.

According to Rubel, who they still didn't trust as far as they could throw him, even though that was pretty far for all of them, the stone was located in a city called Rozen. It was a city much like Rabona, except that it was more accepting of the warriors of the organization. And like Rabona, there was a cathedral in the center of the city.

From what they could see of their view of the city though, this was no house of God. It looked more like a temple devoted to creatures of myth. It was a large temple, adorned with carvings and statues of creatures ranging from Pegasus to Hydras. The most noticeable feature though was the dragon's head that served as the entrance to the temple.

"They really know how to put on a show in this city, don't they?" Helen asked. The others couldn't help but agree with her as they stared at the temple in the middle of the city.

Half an hour later, they were walking through the city gates. The men standing guard paid them little attention, if any at all. It was odd to the group, since they had scared the people in every city that they had come to so far.

Of course, what happened at the gate was nothing compared to the reaction that they got when they were in the city. The men were bowing to them, smiles bright on their faces. As for the women, well… they were blushing. All of their eyes focusing directly onto one thing: Raki. A fact that wasn't going unnoticed by Clare, who was seething anger at this point.

"Oh, calm down Clare," Helen said with an accompanied slap on the shoulder, "What the hell are you so worried about? He's completely devoted to you!"

"Helen does have a point Clare," Deneve said, "Raki wouldn't leave you for one of these human women."

Clare eyed Raki for a moment, his face impassive at the thought of all those women fawning over him. During that moment, she was reassured by their words. Well, she was until Helen jumped on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"That's right Clare! I mean really! Why would he leave you for one of them when he could have either me, Miria, or Deneve?"

Much to Clare's chagrin, Miria turned red at that statement, while Raki started to sweat and blush a little. If Claymore's face-faulted, then Clare would have at Helen's next words.

"Or we could just share him amongst ourselves. I'm sure he wouldn't object to that. I mean, who in their right minds would object to four hot women like us?"

Now Raki was really starting to sweat. Mainly for two reasons. One, because Clare was glaring at him like she wanted to slice his head off, and two, because he was a little hot under the collar at the moment from Helen pressing against his back.

"Helen, I believe that you are making him uncomfortable." Deneve spoke up.

"Really?" Helen said with raised eyebrows. She took a look at his face and saw the slight blush on his face. "Huh, guess I am."

He was mentally thanking Deneve at that point, because he thought that Helen was gonna get off of him now. No such luck.

"But he's so cute!!" She pulled closer to him, and she even kissed him on the cheek. He picked up a faint scraping noise, only to realize that it was Clare grinding her teeth.

"Helen, if you value your life, I suggest that you get off of him." Miria stated, her face now without it's blush.

Helen complied with her words, but Raki was still blushing, and Clare was still glaring. Deneve though, was taking great interest in the people around them. They had never received this kind of welcome in any region of the continent. Why were the people being so friendly here?

The fact that they were more than welcome here was even more evident when a group of three people came up to them. "Welcome to our city, Great Ones." They all were wearing robes of a deep blood red color, and they were all bowing as they spoke. "You are the ones who have come about the stone, correct?"

They group was still a little wary, and surprised, of the fact that they were being bowed to and welcomed so graciously that they all just nodded.

The three of them smiled widely. "Then please, follow us to the temple." They turned to walk away, the group following close, but still very confused at the actions of the people in the city.

The temple was just as big on the inside as it was on the outside. The halls and rooms were massive, the same carvings and creatures that covered the outside lining the walls and doorways. It was truly a thing of beauty.

The group of warriors stood waiting in one of the larger and more extravagant rooms of the temple, waiting for the one that the one's who brought them there called the head priest.

Just like the rest of the temple, the room was decorated with carvings of various mythical creatures. Helen was actually examining one of the larger carvings of a snake creature with eyes made of ruby. She wasn't sure what it was, but she had to admit that it was a creature that even Youma would have been afraid of.

Her thoughts, and everyone else's, were interrupted when an elderly man walked into the room. He was wearing the same blood red robes as the people that had brought them there, as well as a warm smile on his face.

"Ah, welcome Great Ones." he said in a wizened, gravely voice. "Please, allow me to be the first to formally welcome you to our humble city."

He approached Raki, the same smile on his face. He knelt before the male warrior. What happened next surprised all of them even more than the actions of the people when they had entered the city. Reaching out, he took one of Raki's hands into his own, and kissed it before holding it to his forehead and saying, "Welcome to the city of Rozen, my Lord and Ladies. I, Lucius, you're humble servant, am at your beck and call."

At that point, Raki wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or grateful. He slowly withdrew his hand, while Miria chose this time to speak. "Lucius, why do you welcome us so? What have we done here to warrant such praise?"

The old priest looked up at her, the same smile present that had been earlier. "My Lady, please forgive me for my thoughtlessness, as I am sure that you all have many questions." Miria merely nodded. "To answer you my Lady, it is only right that myself and the people of this city treat you as they do."

"But why?" Clare asked, stepping to him. "We have done nothing to warrant this."

"But you have my Lady." Lucius said. "To a city of people that worships demons and mythical creatures alike, there is no one more worthy of praise than you, the ones with the power of demons at your command."

* * *

Okay, and that's chapter one. Again, sorry if it was crappy, especially the end. I thought that them finding out that they were in a city where the people would practically worship them would make for a good end.


End file.
